Home / Authors / Malcolm Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull Quotes

Member of the Australian Parliament

Malcolm Turnbull is an Australian politician who served as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia. Born on October 24, 1954, Turnbull has a background in law and economics. He has been active in Australian politics for many years, holding several important positions, including Minister for Communications and Minister for Finance. His political career is known for his efforts to promote economic reforms and the digital agenda.

Filter quotes by topic

All Thinking Australia Ifs People Believe Commitment Government Knows Politician Should

Famous Malcolm Turnbull Quotes

“Anyone who thinks it's smart to cut immigration is sentencing Australia to poverty.”

Thinking Poverty Cutting Smart Immigration Australia

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“China and India will take the global leadership on climate change: they are suffering for it.”

Suffering India Climate Climate Change China China And India

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“There is a tendency to try to dumb everything down and turn everything into a one-paragraph press release or even less, just a slogan.”

Trying Turns Down And Presses Tendencies Release Dumb Slogans Paragraph Press Release

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“When politicians offer you something for nothing, or something that sounds too good to be true, it's always worth taking a careful second look.”

Looks Sound Politician Offers Careful Being True Too Good To Be True

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“Gone are the days when your indiscretions at university were recorded in a roneoed college newsletter of which there is only one copy left tucked in a filing cabinet at the back of a library. Today that same college newsletter is online, accessible by the whole world now and forever.”

World Whole Today Left Gone Forever College Library University Whole World Online Copies Cabinets Filing Newsletters Filing Cabinet

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“I am an ambitious person, but I am not ambitious in the sense that I want jobs only for the sake of them... I am here to do things I think are worthwhile. I am always careful that the political positions I take are consistent with good policy. I would not want to be prime minister of Australia at any price.”

Thinking Want Persons Jobs Political Policy Position Sake Careful Ministers Consistent Australia Prime Worthwhile Ambitious Prime Minister Ambitious Person

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“I love radio - its immediacy and especially its intimacy... it is part of your life, whispering into your ear. You can't see it, but equally importantly it can't see you.”

Ears Radio Intimacy Whispering Immediacy

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“I try to talk about policy issues intelligently, I try very hard to avoid thought bubbles. I make sure my speeches are well researched and footnoted. I make sure I am not talking through my hat.”

Trying Wells Hard Talking Issues Policy Speech Hats Bubbles Not Talking

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“Many Liberals are rightly dismayed that on this vital issue of climate change we are not simply without a policy, without any prospect of having a credible policy but we are now without integrity. We have given our opponents the irrefutable, undeniable evidence that we cannot be trusted.”

Given Issues Policy Integrity Evidence Climate Climate Change Opponents Trusted Credible Dismayed

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“The proliferation of outlets that digital technology has enabled has itself contributed to the changing nature of what we regard as 'news' and the way in which many citizens perceive politics.”

Way Technology Citizens News Regard Perceive Digital Outlets Proliferation Digital Technology Changing Nature

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“We are already experiencing the symptoms of climate change, especially with a hotter and drier climate in southern Australia - the rush to construct desalination plants is an expensive testament to that.”

Plant Climate Climate Change Expensive Australia Southern Testament Constructs Symptoms Hotter

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“In economics, one of the most important concepts is 'opportunity cost' - the idea that once you spend your money on something, you can't spend it again on something else.”

Important Ideas Opportunity Cost Concepts Economics Opportunity Cost

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“Mitt Romney speaking to a $50,000-a-plate Republican fundraiser says he doesn't have to worry about the 47 per cent of Americans who don't pay tax. He was not counting on the smart phone recording his speech and then posting it on YouTube.”

Pay Worry Republican Taxes Speech Smart Phones Cents Plates Romney Counting Youtube Fundraiser

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“Honest people, knowledgeable people, really well-informed people can have very different views about what the right measures are on national security.”

People Wells Different Views Honest Security National Security Knowledgeable Different Views Honest People

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“The Liberal Party is and always has been an amalgam between the conservative and the liberal with a small L traditions. And so from time to time people will see it emphasising one more than the other. I think it is genuinely an amalgam between the two.”

People Thinking Has Beens Two Party Tradition Conservative Liberal Party

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“Everyone's got different views. I think you're better off staying within the party and prosecuting those views than stepping out of it.”

Thinking Different Views Party Staying Better Off Different Views Prosecuting

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“What every prime minister struggles with and every leader struggles with is how to balance the two objectives; firstly that of ensuring that all asylum seekers are treated generously and humanely in accordance with the convention and secondly doing everything you can to eliminate or at least discourage people smuggling. And it's a very, very difficult balance.”

People Two Difficult Leader Struggle Balance Objectives Treated Ministers Prime Conventions Prime Minister Seekers Discouraging Asylums Smuggling Asylum Seekers

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“I don't find myself in moral turmoil. I'm not given to turmoil of any kind.”

Kind Given Moral Turmoil

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“You've got to remember that it's a two horse race. So when the Government is doing badly the Opposition is doing better and vice versa.”

Two Government Remember Race Horse Vices Opposition Vice Versa

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“I believe that politicians should speak the truth all the time. Invariably there will be occasions when you make statements that are factually incorrect due to an error.”

Should Believe Speak I Believe Politician Errors Dues Statements Occasions Speak The Truth

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“There's the occasion when politicians will say things that are simply not true, or that they make commitments that they have no intention of fulfilling. That is something that I think should not happen. That's a no-no. That's a third rail that you shouldn't touch.”

Thinking Should Happens Politician Commitment Thirds Intention Occasions Fulfilling Rail

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“I believe politicians should aim to be accurate and truthful in what they say at all times. You can be truthful and inaccurate but what you shouldn't be doing at any time is saying things that are untrue or making commitments that you have no intention of honouring.”

Should Believe I Believe Politician Commitment Aim Intention All Time Truthful Accurate Untrue Being Truthful

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“One of the most important things for a country, particularly when it's seeking to attract long-term capital in big risky projects that are going to have a payback over many years if not decades, is to be seen as being a predictable environment where tax changes will be few. But if they are going to come about they'll come about in a way that you know is predictable, understandable.”

Ifs Knows Way Years Long Important Country Bigs Term Environment Taxes Projects Important Things Seeking Decades Long Term Predictable Payback

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“People invest in companies in order to get a share of the profit that company will make. If the Government increases its share of the profits, potential profits, at the expense of the owners of the company, the shareholders, then that makes investment in that company less attractive.”

People Ifs Government Order Company Share Increase Investment Profit Attractive Owners Expenses Shareholders

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“I've been around in public life for a long time. I think people know what I stand for. They know that I have strong convictions, committed principles and I'm prepared to stand up for them.”

People Thinking Knows Long Strong Principles Long Time Prepared Committed Conviction Public Life

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“It is unmanly. It is not some expression of macho virtue. It is the absolute antithesis of this. Real men don't bully women and children. Respect for women ... is so important.”

Men Children Important Real Virtue Expression Absolutes Bully Real Men Macho Antithesis Respect Women

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“I'm sick of the cover-ups, I'm sick of the lies, and so are the bloody veterans, that come out daily of the department's mouth.”

Lying Mouths Sick Department Bloody Veteran Cover Ups

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“Nobody looks at opinion polls with more attention than politicians, but of course you've got to remember that a single poll is a snapshot in time.”

Looks Remember Courses Attention Opinion Politician Polls Snapshots Opinion Polls

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“The biggest review of taxation ever undertaken in this country, is now dead in the water.”

Country Water Reviews Taxation

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“In terms of our region, what we need to ensure is that the rise of China [is] conducted in a manner that does not disturb the security and the relative harmony of the region upon which China's prosperity depends. Now - now, that requires careful diplomacy, it requires balancing.”

Needs Doe Term Security Depends Harmony Prosperity Careful China Regions Relative Diplomacy Rise Of China

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“You cannot keep on saying oh, you know, talking about disrespecting women as just being politically correct or it's not a big deal or brushing things off. You've got to be aware of it.”

Knows Bigs Deals Talking Just Being Big Deal Politically Correct Brushing

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“To the former child migrants, who came to Australia from a home far away, led to believe this land would be a new beginning, when only to find it was not a beginning, but an end, an end of innocence - we apologise and we are sorry. To the mothers who lost the maternal right to love and care for their child - we apologise, and we are sorry.”

Believe Children Ends Home Would Be Care Mother Lost Inspiring Land Sorry Former Innocence Australia Far Away New Beginnings Mothers Day Migrants Love And Care

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“This is a very tough business, politics. It's easy to get resentful or full of bitterness ... (but) I think hatred hurts the hater more than the hated. So I'm looking back on my time positively.”

Thinking Easy Hurt Tough Hatred Hated My Time Bitterness Looking Back Positively Easy To Get Resentful

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“People learn from failure or from lack of success.”

People Learning From Failure

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“We learn from every natural disaster. Whether it's a fire or a flood, we learn something from it so we can respond to the next one better.”

Next Natural Fire Disaster Flood The Next One Natural Disaster

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“While our energy efficiency is improving, there is a very high correlation, almost near perfect correlation, between GDP growth, and energy usage.”

Energy Growth Perfect Efficiency Improving Usage Correlation Gdp Energy Efficiency

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“What we're seeing at the moment is people being radicalised or adopting Islamist, murderous Islamist ideology very, very quickly so that you have people that are not on the counterterrorism radar screen who then often, as a result of mental illness, will then attach themselves to this murderous ideology and then act very quickly.”

People Moments Results Seeing Illness Screens Mental Illness Ideology Radar Adopting Islamists

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“We will certainly have to rethink the way in which we design and protect places where large numbers of Australians and indeed this will happen around the world.”

World Way Happens Numbers Design Protect Around The World Large Numbers

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“Government will not nominate the former Labor prime minister [Kevin Rudd] to be the UN's next secretary-general.”

Government Next Labor Former Ministers Prime Secretary Prime Minister Kevin

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“The royal commissions are successful and effective when they have a focused terms of reference and can do the job quickly and report. And then action can be taken.”

Action Jobs Term Can Do Successful Taken Focused Reports Royal

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“Americans understand that they have no stronger ally, no better friend, than Australia.”

Stronger Australia Allies

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“I think Australians are more interested in what I am doing with their money than what I am doing with my own.”

Thinking My Own

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“I have always been generous because I know that I have done well in life and I believe it is part of my duty to give back. So I am always been philanthropic.”

Knows Giving Believe Wells Done I Believe Duty Generous Giving Back Philanthropic

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“I've always been prepared to put my money where my mouth is.”

Mouths Prepared

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“Everything we do as a government is focused on getting help and support for hard-working Australian families. We are standing up for them.”

Hard Helping Government Support Hard Work Standing Focused Australian Help And Support

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“you cannot maintain popular support for immigration policy, multiculturalism, unless you can control your borders.”

Support Policy Immigration Multiculturalism

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“If you try to come to Australia by boat, even if we think you are the best person in the world, even if you are a Nobel Prize winning genius, we will not let you in.”

Thinking World Trying Winning Genius Boat Prize Nobel Prize

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“You will never find a better friend to the United States than Australia.”

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“There is nothing more important in business or politics than a deal is a deal.”

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

“Let us be honest with each other. The threat to marriage is not the gays. It is a lack of loving commitment - whether it is found in the form of neglect, indifference, cruelty or adultery, to name just a few manifestations of the loveless desert in which too many marriages come to grief.”

Form Found Names Grief Honest Gay Commitment Threat Cruelty Desert Being Honest Indifference Manifestation Neglect Adultery Loveless Loveless Marriage

Author:Malcolm Turnbull

About the Author

Born: October 24, 1954
Known for: Member of the Australian Parliament
Quotes: 72

Related Topics

Thinking Australia Ifs People Believe Commitment Government Knows Politician Should

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Similar Authors

Tony AbbottBrowse related quotes
Kevin RuddBrowse related quotes
Richard GloverBrowse related quotes
Nicholas SternBrowse related quotes
Peter GarrettBrowse related quotes
Ross GarnautBrowse related quotes
Paul KeatingBrowse related quotes
Margaret D. KleinBrowse related quotes
James HansenBrowse related quotes
Breaker MorantBrowse related quotes